Compressor pump

ABSTRACT

A compressor pump or the like including a cylinder and piston assembly and a pressure chamber, the cylinder having an inlet and having an outlet in communication with the pressure chamber, the piston having a working face in the cylinder and having a pressure face exteriorly of the cylinder, cam means engaging the pressure face of the piston whereby relative rotation between the cylinder and piston as a unit and the cam plate causes reciprocation of the piston and compression of gases in the cylinder and also in the pressure chamber, the cam plate, during the compression stroke of the piston, exposing the pressure face of the piston to pressure chamber pressures to provide added power in the compression stroke of the piston, the pressure face of the piston being relieved of pressure chamber pressures during the intake stroke of the piston.

[ 1 May 22, 1973 COMPRESSOR PUMP Charles L. Sparks, deceased, late of44426 Third St. East, Lancaster, Calif. 93534 by Florence J. Sparks,executrix [76] Inventor:

[22] Filed: Sept. 7, 1971 [211 App]. No.: 178,294

[52] US. Cl. ..417/269, 417/323, 417/490 [51] Int. Cl ..F04b 49/00 [58]Field of Search ..91/499-507; 417/269, 270, 490, 323

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,265,008 8/1966 Ward..91/501 2,070,879 2/l937 3,283,668 11/1966 3,498,227 3/1970 Kita..417/269 2,821,932 2/1958 Lucien 3,424,097 1/1969 Molly 3,641,8292/1972 Reynolds ..91/507 it? g I 52 32 L 54 I 1 A45- 7 I 55' i 58 I I 5p 90 ea 6 52 j 84 1 n I J1 .I

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,004,080 9/1965 Great Britain ..417/214Primary Examiner-William L. Freeh Assistant Examiner-Gregory LaPointeAttorney-Alan D. Mockabee [57] ABSTRACT A compressor pump or the likeincluding a cylinder and piston assembly and a pressure chamber, thecylinder having an inlet and having an outlet in communication with thepressure chamber, the piston having a working face in the cylinder andhaving a pressure face exteriorly of the cylinder, cam means engagingthe pressure face of the piston whereby relative rotation between thecylinder and piston as a unit and the cam plate causes reciprocation ofthe piston and compression of gases in the cylinder and also in thepressure chamber, the cam plate, during the compression stroke of thepiston, exposing the pressure face of the piston to pressure chamberpressures to provide added power in the compression stroke of thepiston, the pressure face of the piston being relieved of pressurechamber pressures during the intake stroke of the piston.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEIW 3,734,647

SHEET 1 [1F 2 A HUM/5y COMPRESSOR PUMP This invention relates to acompressor pump or the like.

Conventional compressors for air and other gases generally are of areciprocating piston type, the piston having an intake stroke in whichair is drawn into the cylinder in which the piston works, and acompression stroke in which the piston moves into the cylinder,compressing the air and forcing the compressed air through an outletport and into an air hose or a storage reservoir.

The compression stroke of the piston in the conventional compressor mustbe accomplished with sufficient power to overcome the buildup pressurein a hose or in a storage reservoir. The result is that not only mustthe piston be sufficiently powered to compress gas in the cylinder butto also overcome the storage pressure.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a compressor whereinthe pressure in a pressure chamber or reservoir is utilized to providepressure against the piston to assist a driving element, such as a cam,in forcing the piston into the cylinder during the compression stroke.The result is that the cam or other piston driving element is requiredto do much less work during the compression stroke. This of courseresults in the need for the application of less power since the powerdevice is assisted by the stored up energy in the pressure chamber andalso, it results in much smoother operation of the compressor. Thislatter feature is quite important in installations, such as the airconditioning systems of motor vehicles, wherein present types ofcompressors not only utilize a considerable amount of the horsepower ofthe vehicle engine but cause an appreciable amount of vibration in thevehicle.

A further object is to provide a compressor wherein piston movement isaccomplished with a cam plate in the nature of a wobble plate, thepiston having an end extending from the cylinder and connected to thecam plate by means maintaining the piston and cam plate in engagementbut providing sliding movement between them upon relative rotationbetween the cam plate and the piston.

A further object is to provide a cam plate disposed obliquely to thelongitudinal axis of the piston, the cam plate and the exposed end ofthe piston being located in a pressure chamber and the cam plate havinga cutaway portion about half of its surface so that the end of thepiston engaging the cam plate will be exposed to pressure chamberpressures, this exposure occurring during the compression stroke of thepiston.

Another object is to provide a piston having a working face in thecylinder and a pressure face exteriorly of the cylinder, the pressureface being flat and on a plane oblique to the longitudinal axis of thepiston and coincident with the plane of the cam plate so that the pistonand cam plate are in flat face-to-face engagement sealing out pressuresfrom the pressure chamber during the intake stroke of the piston, thecam and piston faces providing free relative sliding movement much inthe manner of a set of Johansson gages.

The above and other objects will more fully appear from the followingdescription is connection with the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the device of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the pistons and cam plate;

Flg. 4 is a diagrammatic view partially in section illustrating onecycle of piston movement;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the cam plate.

The device includes a housing 6 having a removable cover 8 whichsupports a sleeve 10 having an air inlet 12, the sleeve being secured tothe cover 8 by means of studs 14 which also secure a bearing cap 15containing a roller bearing 17 in which rotates a shaft 20. At each endof the sleeve 10 is an aperture disc 16, the apertures 18 of which aresurrounded by beads 22. Each bead is engaged by a suitable seal 24 whichlies in sealing engagement about a tubular extension 26 of the shaft 20.Between the seals 24 is a spring 28 which presses the seals against thebeads 22. The tubular extension 26 of the shaft 20, between the twoseals 24 is provided with air inlet apertures 30 permitting air throughthe intake 12 to flow downwardly through the tubular extension 26.

On the end of the tubular extension 26 is a cylinder head 32 secured bystuds 34 to a cylinder block, generally indicated at 36. The cylinderhead 32 can be pressed, keyed or otherwise secured on the lower end ofthe tubular extension 26 of shaft 20.

The cylinder block 36 comprises a set of four cylinders 38 connected bya central web 40 and closed at their upper ends by the cylinder head 32.Above the central web 40 is an upstanding circular wall 42 whichconnects the cylinders 38 and which with the central portion of thecylinder head 32 provides an inlet manifold 44 which is in flowcommunication with the upper portions of the cylinders 38 by means ofintake slots 46.

In each cylinder 38 is a piston 48 having working faces 50 directedupwardly in the cylinder. Above each piston 48 and in each cylinder 38is a pair of one-way exhaust valves 52 which provides flow of compressedair or other gases from the cylinders 38 to the interior 54 of thehousing 6, which comprises a pressure chamber. This chamber has anoutlet 55 for the outward flow of pressurized gases for such work as theoccassion may require.

The pistons 48 have lower end portions 56 which lie at an angle to thelongitudinal axis of the piston. These angled end portions 56 areprovided with enlarged portions 58 having flat end pressure faces 60. Itshould be noted that the pistons 48 are freely rotatable in thecylinders 38.

The housing 6 has a bottom 62 with a central opening 64 giving access toa stud 66 extending through a base member 68 and threaded into a bearingsupport 70 whose upper portion is cup-shaped and supports a taperedthrust-bearing assembly 72 in which is a stub shaft 74 located in theunderside of the web 40 which connects the cylinders 38 of the cylinderblock 36. R0- tation of the shaft 20 causes rotation of the cylinderhead 32 and cylinder block 36 as a unit by means of the mounting of thecylinder head on the tubular extension 26 of the shaft 20.

Rotatable on the bearing support 70 is a spider 76 having U-shapedcutouts 78 in which lie the angularly disposed lower ends 56 of thepistons 48. The spider 76 overlies the enlarged or flanged ends 58 atthe bottom of the pistons and said spider holds the piston ends 58 inengagement with a cam plate 80 which has a hub flange 82 mounted upon aninwardly concentric flange 84 which extends upwardly from the support68. The

flange 82 of the cam plate 80 is movable on the supporting flange 82 anda spring 86 between the support 68 and the underside of the cam plate 80compresses the cam plate against the pressure face 60 of each piston andalso exerts yielding pressure against the spider 76 and a thrust bearingcomprising a ball bearing assembly 88.

As the shaft is rotated by any suitable means, such as an electric motoror a gasoline engine, the cylinder block 36 is rotated and with the camplate 80 lying on a plane oblique to the longitudinal axis of thepistons and the shaft 20, the pistons will be caused to ride up to thehigh side of the cam, pushing the pistons upwardly into the cylindersthrough a compression stroke. Then the pistons ride down to the low sideof the cam, drawing the pistons downwardly in an intake stroke, onecircuit of the cam plate by a piston comprising one complete cycle.Intake air of course is drawn through the intake 12 down through thetubular extension 26 of the shaft 20 into the intake manifold 44 andthence through intake ports 46 to the interiors of the cylinders 38. Asthe piston rises in the cylinders they pass the intake ports 46 andcompress air or other gases on further movement of the piston to the topof the stroke, as indicated on the left side of FIG. 2. These compressedgases are forced through the valves 52 into the pressure reservoir orchamber 54 where the pressure air is accumulated and from which it canlead to the pressure outlet 55 to to a suitable device for performingwork.

The cam plate 80 is provided with a circular cutout 90 which extendsabout the cam plate from the low point of said plate to the high pointthereof, the relative movement of the pistons during the compressionstroke being from the low point to the high point and substantiallycoextensive with the length of said semicircular cutout 90. The pressurefaces 60 of the pistons 48 are normally in sealing sliding contact withthe flat smooth surface of the cam plate 80 so that pressure in thepressure chamber 54 is sealed from the piston pressure faces. However,when the pistons begin their compression stroke from the low side to thehigh side of the cam plate 80, the semicircular cutout portion 90exposes most of the surface of the pressure face 60 of the piston sothat pressure is exerted on the under end of the piston to tend to forceit upwardly into the cylinder, working with the obliquely positionedsurface of the cam plate 80 to force the piston upwardly during saidcompression stroke. Then when a piston reaches the top of the cam at theleft side of FIG. 2, the upper end of the semicircular cutout 90,defined by the edge 92 in Fig. 5, wipes across the pressure face 60 ofthe piston and brings said pressure face back into smooth sliding andsealing contact with the upper face of the cam plate 80, much in themanner of placing two .lohansson gage blocks together with a slidingmovement.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of one of the pistons 48 in acylinder 38. The piston 48 at position A would be in the same positionas that shown at the right side of FIG. 2. As the cylinder block andpiston assembly are rotated as a unit, the piston 48 rides up the cam inthe compression stroke. Position B would be the position of the pistonmidway between the low and high sides of the cam. Position C illustratesthe top of the compression stroke. Position D shows the same piston halfway down from the high to the low side of the cam and position A is thesame position as position A at the completion of a cycle.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there is provided a compressorconstruction wherein the gases which have been compressed are utilizedto assist in the compression stroke of each of the pistons, rather thanoppose the compression and exhaustion of compressed gases as inconventional types of compressors. Because the accumulated pressure isput to work, much less power is required from the prime mover whichoperates the compressor. Not only does this construction result in aconsiderable reduction in the amount of power required but it provides asmooth operating unit which does not have the objectionable vibration ofthe single piston compressors of the usual type. This is a particularadvantage in automobile air conditioning systems but of course is usefulin other environments.

The device can be made in any desired sizes. However, it should be notedthat for use in restricted spaces it can be made quite small yet becauseof its multiple cylinder arrangement, will produce quite ample suppliesof gases under pressure in a given time.

It should be noted that various changes can be made in the form,details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A compressor or the like including a cylinder having an inlet and anoutlet and a reciprocating piston, in one position thereof, having aportion located and working in the cylinder between the inlet and outletand movable through a cycle having an intake stroke and a compressionstroke, wherein the improvement comprises: a pressure chamber in flowcommunication with the cylinder outlet, the piston having a working facein the cylinder to pressurize gases therein during the compressionstroke, said piston having a pressure face opposed to the working face,means for exposing the pressure face to pressure in said pressurechamber during the compression stroke of the piston and for isolatingsaid pressure face from pressures in the pressure chamber during theintake stroke of the piston.

2. The structure in claim 1, and the pressure face of said piston beinglocated exteriorly of the cylinder and interiorly of the pressurechamber.

3. The structure in claim 1, and the cylinder and piston being locatedwithin the pressure chamber, and the inlet of said cylinder extendingexteriorly of and being sealed from the pressure chamber.

4. The structure in claim 1, and a cam engaging said piston, and meansfor providing relative movement of the cam and piston to reciprocate thepiston.

5. The structure in claim 1, and said means for subjecting the pressureface of the piston to pressures in the pressure chamber comprising a camhaving face-toface wiping contact with said pressure face and alsohaving a portion thereof arranged to cyclically expose said pressureface to the pressures in said pressure chamber.

6. The structure in claim 5, and said cam comprising a member having aflat face in a plane oblique to the path of reception of said piston,the pressure face of the piston being flat and flatly engaging the faceof the cam in freely slidable relation thereto and sealed from pressurechamber pressures, means associated with said piston for holding theflat pressure face thereof in engagement with the flat face of the cam,and said cam having a relieved portion in pressure communication withsaid pressure chamber and cyclically registerable with the flat pressureface of the piston to exert pressure against said pressure face uponrelative movement between the cam and the piston.

7. The structure in claim 5, and said cam comprising a plate having aflat surface of revolution in wiping contact with the pressure face ofthe piston, said plate having a semicircular relieved portion exposingthe pressure face of the piston to pressure chamber pressures during thecompression stroke of the cycle of the piston.

8. The structure in claim 5, and said cam comprising a plate having aflat surface of revolution in wiping contact with the pressure face ofthe piston, said plate having a semicircular relieved portion exposingthe pressure face of the piston to pressure chamber pressures during thecompression stroke of the cycle of the piston.

9. The structure in claim 1, and the pressure face of the piston lyingon a plane oblique to that of the longitudinal axis of the piston, thepiston being rotatable in the cylinder, and a cam plate in wipingcontact with said pressure face and on a plane coincident with that ofthe pressure face.

1. A compressor or the like including a cylinder having an inlet and anoutlet and a reciprocating piston, in one position thereof, having aportion located and working in the cylinder between the inlet and outletand movable through a cycle having an intake stroke and a compressionstroke, wherein the improvement comprises: a pressure chamber in flowcommunication with the cylinder outlet, the piston having a working facein the cylinder to pressurize gases therein during the compressionstroke, said piston having a pressure face opposed to the working face,means for exposing the pressure face to pressure in said pressurechamber during the compression stroke of the piston and for isolatingsaid pressure face from pressures in the pressure chamber during theintake stroke of the piston.
 2. The structure in claim 1, and thepressure face of said piston being located exteriorly of the cylinderand interiorly of the pressure chamber.
 3. The structure in claim 1, andthe cylinder and piston being located within the pressure chamber, andthe inlet of said cylinder extending exteriorly of and being sealed fromthe pressure chamber.
 4. The structure in claim 1, and a cam engagingsaid piston, and means for providing relative movement of the cam andpiston to reciprocate the piston.
 5. The structure in claim 1, and saidmeans for subjecting the pressure face of the piston to pressures in thepressure chamber comprising a cam having face-to-face wiping contactwith said pressure face and also having a portion thereof arranged tocyclically expose said pressure face to the pressures in said pressurechamber.
 6. The structure in claim 5, and said cam comprising a memberhaving a flat face in a plane oblique to the path of reception of saidpiston, the pressure face of the piston being flat and flatly engagingthe face of the cam in freely slidable relation thereto and sealed frompressure chamber pressures, means associated with said piston forholding the flat pressure face thereof in engagement with the flat faceof the cam, and said cam having a relieved portion in pressurecommunication with said pressure chamber and cyclically registerablewith the flat pressure face of the piston to exert pressure against saidpressure face upon relative movement between the cam and the piston. 7.The structure in claim 5, and said cam comprising a plate having a flatsurface of revolution in wiping contact with the pressure face of thepiston, said plate having a semicircular relieved portion exposing thepressure face of the piston to pressure chamber pressures during thecompression stroke of the cycle of the piston.
 8. The structure in claim5, and said cam comprising a plate having a flat surface of revolutionin wiping contact with the pressure face of the piston, said platehaving a semicircular relieved portion exposing the pressure face of thepiston to pressure chamber pressures During the compression stroke ofthe cycle of the piston.
 9. The structure in claim 1, and the pressureface of the piston lying on a plane oblique to that of the longitudinalaxis of the piston, the piston being rotatable in the cylinder, and acam plate in wiping contact with said pressure face and on a planecoincident with that of the pressure face.